Saturday, June 06, 2015

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we have news of new seasons of Community and Arrested Development, new stage productions for Cheers and The Brady Bunch, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

The sixth season of Community is finished on Yahoo! Screen, and it seems that now it is time for that movie to fulfill the goal of "six seasons and a movie." But it looks like there is a possibility that a whole seventh season could possibly be next instead. (Deadline)

Another cult favorite sitcom that died in real life (but came back to life online) was Arrested Development, and it too may be getting another season on Netflix. (Deadline)

CBS has become well-known for marketing and ensuring that series in their library have a strong afterlife, and to that end, they are now working on bringing The Brady Bunch and Cheers to the stage as live productions. (Variety)

What were some of the cheesiest 80s and 90s sitcom very special episodes? VH-1 has their thoughts in an online article. (VH-1)

Following in the footsteps of HBO and their HBO Now service for those who want HBO (but don't want cable), Showtime is now looking to launch a similar service. (CNET)

Even though there have been no new episodes of Full House in almost two decades, it seems there is always some new Full House news every week. This week, we have learned that Lifetime's Full House movie will air August 22. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

With the recent arrival of The Nanny on DVD as a complete series, fans who just want to collect the individual seasons are left wondering if more seasons will be coming. And they will, as this week, Shout! announced that The Nanny - Season Four will arrive on DVD on September 22.

JUNE 9 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

The Facts of Life - Season Six
(DVD, $29.39): Shout! Factory begins to wrap up a few loose ends for this series on DVD for those who did not purchase the complete series release.

Claim to Fame: Marla Gibbs got her start in the "blaxploitation" movies in the early 1970s, but it wasn't long before she picked up a small role on The Jeffersons as housekeeper Florence Johnston. It wasn't exactly intended to be a major role, but as the series progressed, she quickly became a star of the series and there were many episodes that were almost exclusively about her character. The character became so big that they eventually created a spinoff, Checking In, but it was quickly canceled and she was allowed to return back to The Jeffersons. She didn't have to wait long after The Jeffersons was canceled for her next role, as Mary Jenkins on the NBC sitcom 227, for which she also served co-producer. After two solid series, she has somewhat stepped back from regular roles since then, although she has had recurring roles in The Hughleys and The First Family. Following some health issues a few years ago, she took a few years off from acting, but now she is now regularly popping up in guest roles once again on series such as Scandal (which also happens to be a show that she really enjoys watching) and Hot in Cleveland. And the acting tradition in the family continues with her daughter Angela Gibbs, who currently has a role on the Adult Swim series Black Jesus.

Pick of the Tweets:"Watching fireworks never gets old. So grateful to be surrounded by my kids. Now I wish one of them would get me a margarita!" (July 4, 2014)

Last Man Standing - "Help Wanted" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Since losing her teaching job, Vanessa has been spending her time hovering over the family, and it’s driving everyone nuts. Over at Kristin and Ryan’s house, Ryan and Kyle are wrapped-up in a zombie face-off to determine who knows the most about zombies and how to survive an apocalypse. Unable to land a new gig, Vanessa becomes discouraged, but Mike does everything he can to get her back doing what she loves.

Dr. Ken - "Ken's Apology" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Ken wants to apologize to a patient for missing an important medical detail, Pat advises against it, and the situation gets out of hand. Meanwhile, D.K. shakes things up at Dave’s parent/teacher conference.